The Economics of Everyday Things

When security cameras and facial recognition tools fail, law enforcement investigators fall back on a witness's memory and an artist's hand. Zachary Crockett's nose was a little bigger than that.

• SOURCES:
  • Lois Gibson, forensic artist.
  • David Sarni, adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Fighting Crime With Pencil and Paper," by J. David Goodman (New York Times, 2013)
  • "Something S...

How does an industry built on roadside pop-ups make billions of dollars in two weeks of the year? Zachary Crockett gets pyrotechnical.

• SOURCES:
  • Alex Zoldan, vice president of Phantom Fireworks.

• RESOURCES:
  • Phantom Fireworks 2025 Wholesale Price List.
  • "The Explosive Growth Of The Fireworks Market," by Greg Rosalsky, Darian Woods, and Julian Ritchey (NPR, 2023).
  • "Directory of State Laws for Consumer Fireworks," (...

Why are these sudsy roadside stops one of the fastest growing industries in America? Zachary Crockett takes a look under the hood.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Private Equity Wants to Wash Your Car," by Miriam Gottfried (The Wall Street Journal, 2022).
  • "California Labor Commissioner Recovers $282,000 for Car Wash Wage Citations," State of California Department of Industrial Relations News Release (2022).
  • "Sgt. Clean’s Future Shines Bright Than...

Americans take more than 20 billion elevator rides every year — and keeping them safe is an expensive proposition. Zachary Crockett makes small talk.

• SOURCES:
  • Frank Christensen, president of the International Union of Elevators Constructors.
  • Shannon Moore, service mechanic for the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 8.
  • Brian O'Connell, senior vice president of the Eastern U.S. at Otis Elevators.
  • Stephen Smith, ex...

Districts across the country are facing shortages of school bus drivers. Can technology help? Zachary Crockett takes a seat in the back.

• SOURCES:
  • Keith Corso, co-founder and CEO of BusRight.
  • Marc Medina, transportation supervisor for the Farmingdale School District in Long Island.
  • Jada Melendez, school bus driver in Burlington County, New Jersey.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How St. Louis parents are dealing with school bus dr...

Everyone loves to complain about it — but preparing a meal that tastes good at 35,000 feet is harder than you might think. Zachary Crockett will have the fish.

• SOURCES:
  • Molly Brandt, innovation chef for North America at Gategroup.
  • Chris Kinsella, chief commercial officer for North America at Gategroup.
  • Guillaume de Syon, professor of history at Albright College.

• RESOURCES:
  • "No Thanks, Grandma, I’m Saving Room ...

Every year, America celebrates its independence with millions of dollars worth of explosives imported from China. Zachary Crockett lights a fuse and backs away quickly.

• SOURCES:
  • JJ Brau, fireworks coordinator for J&M Displays.
  • Mark Johnson, vice president of J&M Displays.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The explosive history of fireworks, from ancient China to Revolutionary America," by Joe Hernandez (NPR, 2024).
  • "July 4 firework...

These glistening round gemstones have come a long way since your grandmother's time, but procuring them is still a lot of work. The world is Zachary Crockett’s oyster.

• SOURCES:
  • Jeremy Shepherd, C.E.O. of Pearl Paradise.
  • James Brown, owner of Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Pearls Have Acquired a New Luster Among Young Designers," by Victoria Gomelsky (New York Times, 2024).
  • "The Value of Pearls: A Historica...

Youth baseball — long a widely accessible American pastime — has become overrun by $10,000-per-year, for-profit travel leagues. Zachary Crockett peers inside the dugout.

• SOURCES:
  • Linda Flanagan, author.
  • Nick Mackenzie, future New York Yankees shortstop.
  • R.J. Mackenzie, physical education teacher and baseball dad.
  • John Miller, journalist and baseball coach.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Cost of Youth Baseball Is Getting Absur...

Where is “the cloud,” anyway? It’s in a bunch of nondescript warehouses all over the country. Zachary Crockett serves up the story.

• SOURCES: 
  • Chris Kimm, senior vice president of global customer care and customer experience at Equinix.
  • Raul Martynek, C.E.O. of DataBank.
  • Clayton Rosati, associate professor of geography at Bowling Green State University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How Data Center Alley Is Changing Northern Vir...

A new thrill ride can cost an amusement park $20 million or more — but roller coasters attract customers like nothing else. Zachary Crockett must be at least this tall to host this episode.

• SOURCES:
  • Korey Kiepert, engineer and partner at The Gravity Group.
  • Dennis Spiegel, owner and founder of International Theme Park Services.

• RESOURCES:
  • "These two amusement park giants just merged. Rollercoaster fans are ner...

It takes a highly skilled stenographer — and some specialized equipment — to transcribe TV dialogue in real time at 300 words per minute. Will A.I. rewrite the script? Zachary Crockett tries to keep up.

• SOURCES:
  • Doug Karlovits, general manager at Verbit.
  • Katie Ryan, live steno captioner at Verbit.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Long Case for Machine Shorthand," by Sam Corbin (New York Times, 2024).
  • "Caption This: Why Subtitl...

The ability to get into any home, car, or safe can be lucrative — but fixing locks is a tough business. Zachary Crockett gets the key information.

• SOURCES:
  • Wayne Winton, owner of Tri-County Locksmith Service.
  • Philip Mortillaro Sr., co-owner of Greenwich Locksmiths.
  • Philip Mortillaro Jr., co-owner of Greenwich Locksmiths.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Tools of the Trade," by Tim O'Leary (Locksmith Ledger International, 2022).
  • "Ke...

Those tiny treats that predict your future may come free at the end of a Chinese meal, but they’re big business (and not Chinese). Zachary Crockett will go on a long journey.

• SOURCES: 
  • Jennifer 8. Lee, documentarian and author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles.
  • Norman Wong, C.E.O. of Wonton Food.

• RESOURCES: 
  • "Canadian Influencer’s Amazement at Absence of Fortune Cookies in China Restaurants Triggers Amusing On...

When you hit the slopes, you might not be thinking about water rights, controlled avalanches, and liability insurance — but someone has to. Zachary Crockett shreds the pow. 

• SOURCES:
  • Andrew Gast, general manager of Mt. Ashland Ski Area.
  • Rob Goodell, chief operating officer at Loveland Ski Area.

• RESOURCES:
  • "State of the U.S. Ski Industry" (National Ski Areas Association, 2024).
  • "U.S. Ski Resorts in Operation Du...

We reach for it twice a day — without thinking about the decades of research and engineering that went into that squeezable tube of minty goo. Zachary Crockett extracts the last bit.

• SOURCES:
  • Stephan Habif, chief technology officer at Colgate-Palmolive.
  • Sergio Leite, global head of Oral Care R&D at Colgate-Palmolive.
  • Peter Miskell, professor of international business history at the University of Reading.

• EXTRAS:<...

When a Fortune 500 company needs a new leader, it turns to a well-connected headhunter who assesses candidates with psychological tests and mock TV interviews. Zachary Crockett activates his network.  

• SOURCES:
  • Julian Ha, partner at the executive recruiting firm Heidrick & Struggles.
  • Jane Stevenson, global vice chair of board and CEO services at Korn Ferry.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Transformation of the CEO," by Steph...

Security guards make malls feel safer, but what can they do when there’s trouble? Zachary Crockett observes and reports.

• SOURCES:
  • Gus Parsons, mall cop in the San Diego area.
  • David Levenberg, owner of Center Security Services.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Mall of America's security team will start using facial recognition software as part of safety plan," by Derek James (CBS News, 2024).
  • "The Problems Inside North America’s La...

How do TV producers decide how much money to give away? A little psychology and a lot of math. Zachary Crockett phones a friend.

• SOURCES:
  • Bowen Kerins, math teacher and former contestant on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire.
  • Arthur Smith, CEO of A. Smith & Co. Productions and author of "Reach: Hard Lessons and Learned Truths from a Lifetime in Television."
  • Aaron Solomon, television producer.

• RESOURCES:
  • "‘The Price...